God will change your brain [Day 4 - 30 Days to Renaissance]

Lisa Robbin Young — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:40:52 +0000

Think about what you REALLY believe about yourself.

I’d be willing to bet that some of the beliefs you hold about yourself may be completely untrue. In fact, you may be wondering why you still

believe them even when you KNOW those beliefs don’t serve you.

In order to clear out what we call ”limiting beliefs” there are several methods that can work, but I’ve found one that works for everyone -

especially if you have an analytical brain like I do.

It’s called finding proof.

For every positive belief you have written down, make a list of reasons why you know this belief is true.

For every limiting belief you have written down, make a list of reasons why you know this belief it untrue.

This gives you a chance to dig deeper into the reasoning behind why you believe as you do.

And it works for any beliefs you hold – not just beliefs about yourself.

You’ll probably find a few beliefs that bring up some “emotional stuff” for you. That’s when you know you’ve struck gold. Realize too that some issues may need professional help for you to successfully navigate them. Today is about discovering those issues so you can clear the clutter between you and a fresh start.

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If you’re ready to make the leap from Reluctance to Renaissance, join us at The Renaissance Mom Experience this August! This 3-day retreat features amazing mom entrepreneurs sharing their success secrets and giving you the tools you need to find balance in your work and life without apologies or excuses.

Did you miss a day? You can catch the entire 30 Days to Renaissance E-course here. It’s free, and no salesman will call.

Getting Clarity [Day 2 - 30 Days to Renaissance]

Lisa Robbin Young — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:50:05 +0000

On Monday’s post, we talked about clearing the air, me swearing, and other “reality checks” that lay the groundwork for beginning your renaissance.

After clearing the air, we need to get clear in our heads.

When it comes to creating a Renaissance, you need absolute clarity on what stays and what goes – at least in one area of your life. If we are creating a fresh start, we need a clean slate. That means deciding what stays and what goes.

Think for a minute about what MUST change if you are to have a re-birth in your life and business. What must you part with (ideas, stuff, people, etc). Make a list of at least a few items. I’m not asking you to get overwhelmed and try to let all of these things go at once – that would be emotional suicide. But the list is critical.

In making the list, you’re allowing your brain to do it’s best work – brainstorm. Even if you think you’re lousy at brainstorming, I’m sure we’ve all heard that very self-critical voice chime in from time to time with a litany of “stuff” that keeps us from feeling our very best.

Tap into that voice, if you must. But brainstorm away. Get as specific and concrete as you possibly can. Get massively critical about the relationships you have, the career you’ve chosen, your friends, enemies, and more.

We are essentially clearing the clutter in the closet of your mind. It’s Spring cleaning time.

And just like spring cleaning, you’ll pull everything out, handle a few things, trash some others, and then you’ll find that wonky old pair of sneakers – the ones you just can’t bear to part with – at least not yet. And you’ll talk about why it’s hard to let them go, all the reason why they need to stay, and put them back in your closet.

That’s okay. Renaissance doesn’t happen overnight. But see, now you’re AWARE of those tennis shoes, and eventually, your brain will start saying “when are you going to get rid of those old wonky things?” Eventually, you will let go.

So today, clean out the clutter and do the easy work. Find something that you can let go of today – in fact, find a physical, tangible object that you can give away or toss today. It’s usually easiest to part with a physical object, something that makes a symbolic fresh start for you.

Let go. Let God step in and fill that empty space with freshness and newness.

Clearing out clutter and making physical space for yourself is a great way to make a fresh start. What can you let go of today?

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If you’re ready to make the leap from Reluctance to Renaissance, join us at The Renaissance Mom Experience this August! this 3-day retreat features amazing mom entrepreneurs sharing their success secrets and giving you the tools you need to find balance in your work and life without apologies or excuses.

Did you miss a day? You can catch the entire 30 Days to Renaissance E-course here.

Christians Swear? The Horror! [Day 0 - 30 Days to Renaissance]

Lisa Robbin Young — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 21:54:46 +0000

One of my bad habits is holding back the full truth until I can’t take it any more. Then it becomes some sort of “moment of confessional”, when I come across more dramatic than even I intend. Sadly, this realization comes now, just as I need to get something off my chest – again.

I have been known to utter profanity. Sometimes very loudly, sometimes under my breath, and yes, it might be aimed at you.

Well, not you specifically, but you get the idea.

See, when you publicly declare your faith for all the world to see, suddenly every action and misdeed is under a microscope – kind of like the Hollywood A-listers. But unlike the a-listers, forgiveness is rarely found for the person who claims to be a Christian.

Like it or not, we’re humans first, Christians second, and while that observation does not excuse my behavior, it certainly illuminates it.

I don’t make a point of swearing, but yeah, I’ve been caught on video speaking an expletive or two. While I admit it’s not the most proper way to present myself, it’s also dishonest of me to pretend I’m someone I’m not. I’ve tried to live my entire life thus far as an open book. Don’t ask if you don’t want to know, and all that jazz.

But here’s the thing. I would prefer you know, like and trust the REAL me – not some phony facade I put on for work. There’s something horrifyingly dishonest about being less than myself. And it’s time to nip it in the bud.

And you know what? I couldn’t be happier about it. Dave Lakhani says that polarizing personalities sell – you either love them or you hate them. I’m not out to win any popularity contests, and I don’t seek to offend people, but really, if the occasional burst of vulgarity bothers you, we need to part company. Sooner rather than later.

My entire business is built around teaching people to build a life they love without being apologetic or making excuses for who they really are. How can I hold myself out in any other fashion?

Tomorrow we begin the 30 Days to Renaissance journey here on the blog. Many of you have already jumped on board the e-course, and I hope more of you will take me up on this challenge as well: To live your life in balance without apologies or excuses.

For many of you, it will be like getting a fresh start. For others it’s confirmation of a process you’ve been “working on” for a while. But here’s the situation: You must insist on being 100% yourself. Anything less is a ripoff.

So for those of you that are wondering, I’m clearing the air here:

1. I swear – usually when I’m incredibly upset or incredibly happy. In those moments, it’s generally because I’m speechless (yeah, me. go figure).

2. I love God. I was born and raised as a Christian and have no plans of changing anytime soon.

3. I believe science and God can co-exist. Was God an alien? Who knows? Does it really make God any less powerful? Do we have all the answers worked out yet? Nope. And that doesn’t prove or disprove the existence of God in my book.

4. I try to do right, but I still screw up. If my mom hadn’t already given me a middle name, “bad choices” might be mine.

5. You can be a mom, a wife, and a business owner. It’s freakin’ hard work, it’s not for everyone, but if you’re willing to do the work, the rewards are amazing.

6. Balance doesn’t look like the scales of justice. Very often, it looks more like a contortionist. Everyone has a different sense of and need for balance. Finding your balance point will ease much of the tension and stress in your life.

7. Helping you guys find success on your terms is my mission. I can’t NOT do this. I believe God planted this in my heart and until he uproots it, I’m not going anywhere. he gave me a gift to help you brainstorm, find solutions and hold you accountable. So here I am doing my darndest – with your permission, of course.

8. I can’t make you successful, just like I can’t make you like me, trust me, or buy from me. What I can do is offer suggestions, guidance and prayer for your situation. god gave us all free will, so the rest is up to you.

9. My life isn’t perfect, it will never be perfect, and whilst I may grumble from time to time, remember I am human just like you – regardless of my religious affiliations. I do the best I can with what I have.

So there. As we take this 30 day journey together, realize that not everything I say will make you happy. That’s not my role. My role is to open your mind, and offer you options you may not have considered before. Stop being reluctant in your own life and embrace the renaissance waiting for you.

We begin in the morrow.

From Reluctance to Renaissance

Lisa Robbin Young — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:02:53 +0000

When we launched The Renaissance Mom at the beginning of the year, I had no idea what would happen.

Our mission is to help 10,000 mompreneurs and working mothers bring balance to their life and work without apologies or excuses. It was a mission God laid on my heart nearly two years ago to the day.

The journey from there to here has not at all been what I planned nor imagined.

“My ways are not your ways.” says the Lord.

Quite.

In truth, for all the forward motion and “tally-ho!” attitude I bring to my work and my life, I’ve probably been the biggest heel dragger of all when it comes to growing this business.

I never really thought of myself as a “mompreneur” or a “wahm” in the first place. I’ve written before about the negative perceptions people hold about those labels. I, too, held some prejudice about those labels. So much, that I felt compelled to create a new “brand” of working mother – The Renaissance Mom.

Renaissance is about re-birth. Despite any scriptural connotations that might bring to mind, we carefully chose our logo to bring to mind the two most recognizable symbols of rebirth – the phoenix and the cross. Simply put, this company is committed to helping working mothers make the transition from reluctance to renaissance.

Why then, have I been dragging my heels on this business? Several reasons:

It’s not my business. Yes, I’m the founder, and my name is the owner of record. No, it’s not a company in name only. This is God’s business, not mine. Often times, I get up in the morning inspired to take actions so far removed from my comfort zone, I have a hard time doing them. I constantly ask “why” and find myself doing it anyway. Today I met a charming guy at a local ad agency. We talked for more than an hour as he shared generously some ideas to help promote The Renaissance Mom Experience to a more local audience. I went in with no real idea of what to expect. I walked away with so many blessings, I wanted to cry. It’s hard for me to invest myself fully in something that’s not mine. I’ve been burned by other partners in the past, and trust is hard won from me. The silly thing is, if I can’t trust God as my partner, who can I trust?
I like being in control. I like having an agenda that I’ve laid out and can work from. God is more extemporaneous than that – at least with me. And although it bugs me a little, I’m trying to go with His flow. But it’s hard, and sometimes downright frustrating. Letting go is not something that comes easy to me. Particularly when I’m “letting go to let God” so to speak. I have many “other” things to do, and sometimes I think I have better things to do. God and I don’t always see eye to eye. Luckily, He still loves me anyway.
Show me the money. To be frank (perhaps a little too frank), The Renaissance Mom has been entirely funded from the beginning by my other business endeavors. I’m not complaining, just noticing that the company is not profitable, and while I’m doing my best to remain faithful to God’s calling, it would be nice to turn a profit from the work we’re doing to help working moms. Perhaps it’s a bad time to start a company like this, but the demand for what we’re doing has been so overwhelming that we can’t stop now. For an unknown start-up, we’ve had the privilege of helping hundreds of women (and a few men) since January gain more balance and clarity in their lives, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s odd for me to run a company that’s not paying for itself, and if this is the mission God has laid on my heart, then maybe it’s not supposed to be profitable. I haven’t figured that one out yet.

That’s been my journey for the past few months, and through it, I’ve made some tremendous realizations:

God is always in control. That may sound like a “blatantly Christian” thing to say on a blog, but it’s true. Every time we’ve had a need for this event, there’s been a supply. I’ve been shy about giving the glory for it to God, and that ends today. God deserves the glory, because there’s no logical reason that this event should be happening at all, let alone happening successfully. And it is happening successfully. Whoever heard of bootstrapping an entire 3-day conference? God is miraculous and I need to stop dragging my heels telling other people about it.
Business is still business. Partners, sponsors and others connected to the work we do still want to see a return – they want to know what’s in it for them. Having a great idea isn’t good enough. Communicating that idea isn’t good enough. Providing the return makes the difference.
I still have a lot to learn. I’ve never claimed to be anybody’s guru. That’s a role for someone other than me. What I do is connect the dots for people, point them to resources, and hopefully help someone along the way. Very much of my success has been accidental, but now I’m in a position where a significant number of people actually look to me for advice/help. God help us all.

There are other lessons, to be sure, and my own renaissance is ongoing. When you step out in faith in a very public way, there’s bound to be obstacles. I’ve tried to stay low-key for a long time, and it’s just not going to work anymore. You may have already seen the shift, heard the undertones, and wondered what’s going on.

I’ve been pulling together a new approach for clients and folks like you that want to move forward with confidence - out of reluctance and into renaissance. It’s very uncreatively called “30 Days to Renaissance”, and it is my new tool for stopping the heel dragging.

And you can have it free.

In light of my profitability comments earlier, free may be a bad choice, but it’s an e-course, delivered daily to your in-box, so it feels weird to charge you for it. Plus, God said to make it free, so I’m not going to argue with HIM.

You can fill out the opt-in box on our home page or Click here to get more details.

If it takes you from Reluctance to Renaissance, please share it with a friend. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your revelations about moving forward in faith in your life and business.